Iron Review: Ping ISI-K

by John Kim

Ping ISI-K – The first major purchase of my golf career was a set of Ping ISI-K irons a few years ago. These clubs set up well behind the ball, and the always present Ping quality was there. Still, something about these clubs and I never did quite mesh. I was measured and fitted with all the right specs, so it wasn't a poor fit, it just wasn't a good one. I'm not sure if Ping is losing steam in the iron market that it has dominated for years, but I just don't see these clubs in too many players' bags anymore. These clubs look good, hit for good distance, and feel fine – but I never really had the confidence in them that I needed to pull off that pressure shot.

The Good: Ping has always produced a quality product, and this set is no different. Any ball hit square will fly straight and true, you will not have to worry about faulty workmanship costing you a bad shot.

The Bad: The club seems to really let you know when you hit one thin, almost too much feel. Mis-hits aren't helped much either. Working the ball is also more difficult and unpredictable than they should be.

Overall: Finding fault with a set of Pings is like saying the latest Mercedes cars have too small a glovebox. You can do it if you try, but you have to nit-pick to do it. Still, for my money, I think there are better irons out there for the good players, and for the not so good players, you shouldn't spend this much on a set of irons as it is.